Topicless thread

[NejinOniwa]

TODAY

My dad turns half a century. -w-

[Bella]

@Stew: HIP HIP HOORAY! Yes, you sound southern but not too southern. Just like my accent is Bostonesque, Massachusetts-sounding but not too... you see where this is going.

Oh... your history teacher...okay... NOW I'M EVEN CURIOUS-ER~ D:

THE SEA CREATURES HAVE JUST REALISED HOW AWESOME MASS IS. THE SEA CREATURES NOW WANT TO LIVE IN MASS. Wait until the blue whales, giant octopuses and Cloverfield monster show up. -w-

@Nej: I remember my dad turning a half century... just barely, it was like a decade and a half ago. -v-


@Kari: it's very sad, but I mean, really... how much can something sting nine years after the fact? I'm sad about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian earthquake, but if I may be blunt there are personal tragedies that I'm a lot more torn up over (or scarred from).

Agreed that they should have rebuilt the towers though... at this rate, they probably never will and instead just settle for a memorial or something...

A tendency toward discrimination is NOT an American thing though, it's a HUMAN thing. Every society from every time in history has had discrimination in one form or another - be it religious, ethnic, sexist or classist - and that's never going to change. Of course, there are some places where discrimination is very low, I imagine ethnically or culturally homogeneous countries might be this way (ie, few minority groups to cast suspicion upon) but in a place as large and diverse as America, there is a certain percentage of the population that's going to need some group to blindly hate. By the same token, would you consider France a bad country because the leaders are (or were) trying to outlaw certain Islamic styles of dress in public? I wouldn't. I disagree with the proposal, but I don't think less of the country or the people because of it.

On the flip side, what happened on 9/11 wasn't an isolated incident; there were terrorist attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda before 9/11 and after 9/11 and there will probably be more in the future. The problem that the people who discriminate against Muslims have is that they can't distinguish the VERY small group of extremists from the majority of good-hearted law-abiding citizens here in America and around the world that just happen to be Muslim. In other words... people who discriminate have absolutely no ability to see in "shades of grey". The world is black and white to them -- you're either with US, or your an ENEMY. Don't make their mistake of oversimplifying the world and hate American because of a small but very vocal minority of bigots.

America's relationship with Japan and Germany after WWII and the Russia after the Cold War is difficult to compare with what's going on now, too... in those cases, we had countries to fight, governments/dictatorships to hate, and a lot of people in those regimes were just hapless victims being suppressed by their governments. Today our enemies are FAR more ambiguous and refuse to play "by the rules" so to speak.

I could go on, but I generally hate talking world affairs in a place as public as this. I hope I didn't just break the forum ban on discussions of Politics and Religion either... ><

[Xeon]

IMO discussion of religion should stop. It never ends well for anybody -w-.

[Bella]

IMO this isn't a discussion about religion. It's about the dangers of making broad judgments. I was merely forming a rebuttal to what Kari said, something that happened to include religion and race.

It is sad how divided and sensitive people are, as a whole, branding entire topics as taboo. At least, as I mentioned before, we don't have many problems like that in my neck of the woods; it's refreshing to be able to have frank conversations on religion, world events and politics - even with strangers or casual acquaintances - without the discussion devolving into a huge butthurt-o-thon.

[NejinOniwa]

AFAIK, the ban is pretty much withered away. I haven't seen jack of it this year, at least.

Ah, clear enemies. The best friend you can possibly have is a clearly defined adversary. Not that humans ever have had much problems making them up - the problem is ensuring they stay that way and that you stay that way as well. Humans are...shifty. Uncannily so.

And this problem - the difficulty in getting a clear, proper adversary - is precisely what fuels the machina of politics. In a struggle to keep their people satisfied with their actions (not necessarily happy in general, just as long as they like them) they need something to crack down on; something to defeat, something to emerge victorious from.

Human society is built on the very concept of war - war is the most basic element of every action taken, and a war is fought on every plane of our world. Economics - a war for money; Politics - a war for the favor of the people; National policy - a never-ending war of attrition against unseen enemies brought upon by the new possibilities that emerge with every turn of the second hand of time. As less and less is defined by the borders of national territory and the movements of armies, new wars pop up like tulips in Amsterdam. The internet is not only a battleground, but also a war in itself - as well as the target, adversary and protége of a swarm of other wars.

In this age, when human understanding has not advanced even an inch of the parsec that communication has, the spreading of these wars like wildfire is inevitable. Control is not a solution - nothing can stop the human instinct of war, as little as the advancement of technology can be halted. As seen through the course of history - the Anykthera, for example - it can be hampered and reduced, and truths can be reconcealed; but the instinct of war will always bring human society to fight against its own inability to surpass nature, itself, and its dreams.

The 9/11 incident is important, because it was symbolic. For one, it was very successful, and had a clear target; It had a clearly defined perpetrator, an organization and to some degree a people who were standing up and telling the US to come fight them. It started not only one, but three wars - the Afghan war, the Iraq war, and the global "War on Terror" - and stirred up in the largely stagnating shark pond. The American shark, who had lasted out the Cold War and survived, unlike its adversary who had gone out splintered; who had once and for all definitely established itself as the true power of the west; and who for almost a decade walked without a cause to fight against or for, other than abstract thoughts and ideas. Naturally, it would gape all it could and sink its fangs into this prey, this bait. Naturally, it sucked it dry and ate it to the bones, and started tracking down its sources for more. The American shark hungers, but the easy prey is all gone - all that lingers is the phantom army of zealots, undefinable save for the common trait of wishing for their destruction.
For as abundant as faith may be in the ranks of both friend and foe, it is not omnipresent in any organization, no matter how it may so claim. The only thing that is truly irresistible for the human mind is the thought of a victory - an adversary to be fought and defeated, and a surge of mind-blowing euphoria as the endorphins happily stream through their arteries.

It is inevitable that wars rise and are fought. The only thing a clever player can hope to accomplish is not control - sooner or later, it will break, shatter or collapse from within. Only by manipulating the outbreaks of war, and the battlefields on which they are fought, can one truly manage to bring an order within the chaos of the world - an order through chaos, itself ordered in a chaotic image of stalemates, defeats and victories - a map of truths and lies; a manuscript, a plan.
A prophecy of conflict and reconciliation.

[stewartsage]

Random World News Updates:

We're soon going to see the probable heir to North Korea for the first time in decades.

The USMC, USN, and a Turkish Navy frigate retook a freighter from pirates off the Gulf of Aden.

My package arrived today, school post office isn't open, and the tracking website didn't update before the PO was closed for the day so it's locked up tight at the Federal Building.  Now, getting up early Monday to go there before class starts to go down town and hassle some Postal Service employees.

[Xeon]

IMO this isn't a discussion about religion. It's about the dangers of making broad judgments. I was merely forming a rebuttal to what Kari said, something that happened to include religion and race.

It is sad how divided and sensitive people are, as a whole, branding entire topics as taboo. At least, as I mentioned before, we don't have many problems like that in my neck of the woods; it's refreshing to be able to have frank conversations on religion, world events and politics - even with strangers or casual acquaintances - without the discussion devolving into a huge butthurt-o-thon.

I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions to fast *I know that sounds wrong but the right words just escape me right now*. It's just most religous discussion or anything that can lead to said subject I've been involved in usually devolve into pointless looping arguments or a My God is Better Than your god fight that I've forgotten some people can actually stay civil when discussing such a serious subject, so I apologize.

And I believe I haven't stated that I'm a Muslim turned godless bastard. So I know how it feels to be judged just because the word Mohammad is in my name ;x.

[NejinOniwa]

That's one pretty common pain over here, as well - any number of migrants from the various arab countries suffer from that as well...and here, they're pretty damn numerous.

[Xeon]

I'm not even allowed in the US border due to a combination of my name and unreadable fingerprints even though I have a physicians note explaining my condition. Do they think I'm a spy or something xD.

[NejinOniwa]

Unreadable fingerprints? Well, likely they're thinking it's too dangerous a risk to take for such a thing...may come in handy though, at some point.

[Chocofreak13]

wow, i tend to open the can of worms alot around here don't i?

ugh, i'm sick of AMERICANS as a whole. i mean no animocity except towards that particular group of loud, angry, closeminded americans, which is MUCH bigger than you seem to think. sure, it's small around where you are, but here, pretty much everyone is white, christian/catholic/jewish, republican, and RICH. stereotypical america. almost as bad as conneticut. (and i have friends from there, i'm allowed to discriminate.) i went to a pagan festival yesterday, and i'm surprised that we weren't picketed by some religious orginazation or other. i'm used to discrimination due to appearance, religious beliefs, and monetary status. not to mention the fact that during the 08' elections, i swear that we were the only obama supporters in town. fricken' McCain signs EVERYWHERE. so i'm sick of rich, white, republican, christian america.


anyhoo, let's get off this subject. (frankly, having elections just a few days after Sept. 11th is just a bad idea in general; it's bound to start up heated conversations like this.)

@nej: happy birthday to your dad. i've already decided what to get you for your birthday. xDDD

@xeon: that is just made of awesome.......unidentifiable fingerprints. xD

oh yeah, and i went to a pagan festival yesterday! :3 (PAGAN AND PROUD)

[Xeon]

My physicians note has been enough to get me to most countries like Australia,New Zealand and China, and I believe Sweeden when I was a wee little lad -w-.

And unreadable fingerprints only sound good in Spy Movies. You wouldn't believe the pain I go through for things like Credit Card and driver license renewal or even confirming my identity since Malaysia doesn't have those fancy newfangled fingerprint readers *oohh I'm missing u Singapore and your awesome readers*. But yeah murder is easier with it ;p.

[Chocofreak13]

lol, don't go killing anyone unless you plan to go sweeny todd on their ass. xD

hmm, the last place i traveled was florida......2 years ago....

before that canada. :3

[Bella]

@Nej: That speech about human nature in relationship to war is one of the greatest posts I've ever read here. It's like you've taken everything I've ever thought about the human drive to fight and have enemies and put it down in a couple of paragraphs. Awesome.

@Xeon: that must be tough having unreadable finger prints.  D:

@Kari: it's worth pointing out that New England is the least religious region of the country -- with something like 47 percent of people saying that religion plays "a role" in their daily life. I know I can count the church-goers I know in my community on, like, three fingers, while there are a lot more ambiguously spiritual people. There was a ton of support for Obama up here during the 08 elections, don't know many republicans, although the ones I do know range on the Libertarian side of the spectrum. There seems to be an inherent mistrust in government in all forms and a sort of pervasive political apathy, maybe the reason I'm so non-political myself.

But srsly. I have relatives from places that ARE what you'd call the stereotypical rich, white, ultraconservative America, and lemme tell you: no place in New England can ever be compared. Spend a year out in the combative, divisive social hornet's nest that is Arizona or Northern California (no cheating by going to San Fran) and you'll never see New England the same way again. -v-

That said, the religious and political people I do know around here... aren't particularly polarizing compared to the people I know from elsewhere (family and close friends included). They seem to have a sort of sensitivity about broaching these subjects, are able to present their ideas non-offensively and speak in a manner of BELIEF rather than KNOWLEDGE -- in other words, "I THINK X party is better because..." rather than "X party IS better because..." This is a big thing for me, because if there's one thing I don't tolerate -- it's being told how something IS. People who have the gall to believe they know HOW the universe or world or life works irritate the hell out of me, since, at least in my way of thinking, the universe, life and world is an inherently unknowable place, whose qualities are subject to the perception of the observer.

Bear in mind that I have some pretty wild theories on the existence, or more accurately, non-existence of the universe, have mixed religious and spiritual beliefs which I only care to describe as agnostic theism, and believe strongly in the idea of a never-ending cycle of perceived existence, fatalism, karma, and reincarnation. I'm not particularly public about any of my beliefs; not so much for fear of discrimination, as much as fear of having my beliefs be misinterpreted (abstract as they are).

[stewartsage]

I have to relabel and clean up the, thankfully, only 800 some songs on my iPod after iTunes decided it would be a wonderful idea to sync the two despite my express wishes that it didn't.